On 23 June 2016, 51% of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in what has been known as “Brexit”.
The terms of leaving the EU are still up for debate, as is the eventual leaving date.
Before this article begins, the difficult truth behind any discussion regarding Brexit is:
Nobody knows.
Nobody can say for sure (whether they are a politician, business-leader, economist or healthcare professional) what the exact changes to the NHS in the UK will be after Brexit. However, this article will discuss…
How will the UK leaving the EU affect jobs for overseas nurses in the UK?
As you are preparing for your IELTS or OET exam, you’ll likely be thinking about your job prospects and how leaving the EU could affect your ability to work in the United Kingdom.
Here are some important considerations:
The NHS is understaffed and this problem is getting worse.
For the last 30 or so years, around 10% of doctors and around 5% of nurses have been from the EU. There are also around 160,000 social care and health workers from Europe.
The NHS is incredibly understaffed with approximately 50,000 full-time positions vacant in 2016 (especially for nursing and midwifery).
This number is growing every year. The number of British nurses and doctors is also decreasing after the Brexit vote.
In a 2017 report, 86% of nurse leaders said that recruiting nurses from the EU was essential for the NHS to correctly operate.
The number of nurses and doctors registering with the NMC and GMC has also dropped since 2015. It is unlikely that the Government will (or can) continue to allow these vacancies to happen.
“This is an extensive and credible report which should trouble everyone who cares about the future of health and care in the UK. …With no further net migration or improvements domestically, healthcare could face a gap of up to 70,000 workers by 2025. “
Nigel Edwards, chief executive at the health think tank The Nuffield Trust
Increasing vacancies likely means more opportunity for nurses and doctors from both inside and outside the EU.
The Government is to reduce immigration numbers for those earning less than £30,000 per year – but not including doctors and nurses.
The Government currently has a plan in place for after Brexit to restrict immigration to the UK to only those earning over £30,000 per year.
The good news however is that nurses are not included in this plan.
A BBC reportsaid:
In most cases, the migrant will need to be earning at least £30,000 per year (or £20,800 for new entrants), or the “appropriate rate” for their job if that figure is higher. Some professions, like nurses, are exempt.
BBC News
Meaning that the Government will not put these rules on nurses (and also social workers, doctors and engineers).
With all of the negative and positive talk about Brexit, there may be some positives for nurses and doctors wanting to register in the UK and NMC.
An important factor for the UK voting to leave the UK was stricter laws regarding immigration however the facts show that there could be positive opportunities for overseas professionals after Brexit, especially healthcare professionals.
The NHS values international nurses and doctors and the excellent job they do and will likely put a lot of pressure on the UK Government to relax some of their employment rules to allow valuable doctors and nurses to fill the thousands vacancies around the UK.
These vacancies need to be filled and are not being filled by British-born professionals. Therefore, the UK will likely look to overseas professionals.
Are you confused about Brexit? Or do you want to find out more about how to become a nurse in the UK?
Please feel free to comment in the box below and our teachers will get back to you to answer your questions.